Frequented Blogs...

May 2012

05/31/2012

I'm currently in the middle of Heather Bruggeman's 30 Day Vegan workshop. Perfect for sweet potato treasures, don't you think?

She recently posted a video of cooking roasted sweet potatoes. She said they are so good, "people will be talking about them". That's a big thing to say about roasted sweet potatoes. After all, they're just roasted sweet potatoes, right? (that's what the inner sceptic in me thought )

With sweet potato discoveries last night, I thought, perfect timing to have a go. So I did...

05/28/2012

We live continents away from our extended family. Among other things, this means we're raising our children without the support of family in the traditional sense (this also means that we've been out on about 2 dates in the past 12 years). This has it's positives and negatives. But, ultimately, it's all that we know. I've been fine with it until the past about 12 months - since then I get, occassionally, that longing... yearning for lineage.

And then, I have beautiful reminders.

Moments like this...

... afternoons surrounded by old friends.

Friends who have seen my highs and lows.. and love me in spite of it all.

Friends whose laughter and tears are all part of each other.

Intertwined and connected through time - simultaneously, where time is both finite and limitless.

05/27/2012

Our driveway is shared with three houses. Once, this property was an old dairy on about 35 acres. About 15 years ago two 5 acre blocks were created at the back of the land. We've been lucky enough to move onto one of them.

I really love our driveway (as referenced before here). I love how it meanders and takes it's time getting us home. I love how it's dirt and bumpy and full of potholes, unevenness, rocks and sticks. It forces us to SLOW DOWN before we even get home. Take a breath before the onset of home jobs overtakes us.

We live next to a working dairy. The beginning of our driveway is often a home to calves from this dairy. The children think this is just the best thing. Often they ask to be let out of the car so they can go up and pat the calves and let them suck their fingers (sounds yuck to me, but I keep this to myself). Lucky the creek is a few steps away. Which means, the cow slobber requires a quick visit in order to rinse off slobbery fingers. It's always so cold and skin feels so soft after going in. Magic.

On another note...

I did it!!! 7 days!!! I'm beginning to taste the beginnings of a new momentum.

So, I'm going to try .... the 7 day pledge (part 2).

Also known as Days 8 - 14 (but that sounds like too much of a commitment and starts making my palms sweat). No. I can just taste failure in this... back to plan A...

I also love the idea of free range chooks. Chooks having access to bugs and grass and happiness and sunshine. We have free range ch ooks. About 30 of them (give or take a few losses when foxy loxy lurks about). Our chooks have a lovely life. They roam.

Problem.

They roam.

They poo.

Everywhere.

I started to dream. Dreams of walking to the washing line barefoot. Dreams of walking on our verandah in bare feet. Dreams of walking into our house (yes, I am serious) without any feathered friends hiding in baskets....

While their freedom was grand, it was taking it's toll...

Then came our clever friends...

After housesitting (and some nasty chicken lice), they too agreed, enough was enough.

But, here's the difference... they are CLEVER. They can use wood and nails and put them together in special ways (and they have no children and this amazing thing called TIME).

.

After lots of drawings and lots of clever moments , a new coop was made (upcycling old feed bags to waterproof the roof and floorboards... I told you they are clever).

And then, this amazing coop was carried into an amazing FENCED off paddock.

Now, we have about 30 free range chooks. These chooks have plenty of space. They're safe from foxy loxy (thanks to the deep trench that was dug and fence that was buried in - we won't mention the septic and phone lines which were severed - but repaired nonetheless).

And, aside from being able to hang the laundry barefooted, another highlight is....

... and we don't even have to race the dog to find random nests (the dog has lost a bit of weight as of late).

Progress.

You know where to come if you need any eggs (that is until winter sets in ... but we won't talk about that either).

05/24/2012

... Sorry it's not the front view - but it's a jolly ol' echidna (I linked a quick interesting video) just roaming about the place looking for some nightime tucker. Very cute. We didn't touch him as I couldn't remember if echidnas shoot their quills -

05/23/2012

Day 3 - I bring the girls to school (all 3 - the homeschooler has realized that she misses her friends - ahem - I forsee this as a fluid situation and I breathe deep). Upon my return home, I find that TODAY is a scheduled power outage ALL DAY day.

Sometimes the universe is not so supportive of seven day pledges.

However, this left time to pursue other things.

Things such as... "the most important thing" in a four year old's life...